Facebook might be moving away from the location-sharing map within Nearby Friends, but WhatsApp seems to be testing a similar feature on its beta app.
Facebook recently added a “wave” feature on Nearby Friends, but took away the location-sharing map showing you exactly where your “nearby friends” were. This move not only makes Nearby Friends a whole lot less “creepy,” but it also shows that Facebook is somehow responding to its users’ privacy concerns. Despite this, the company is testing a similar new feature on WhatsApp – “Live Location Tracking” – real-time location-tracking between friends in a group.
With Live Location Tracking turned on for a chosen time period (one, two or five minutes), a select few friends can see exactly where they are. This is particularly useful when there are many people trying to find each other to meet up. The fourth option, “Enabled Indefinitely,” is exactly what it implies.
2.17.3.28 iOS | 2.16.399+ Android: Live Location feature, that tracks the live location of other group participants (DISABLED BY DEFAULT). pic.twitter.com/pYEXT1nxyR
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) January 26, 2017
Live Location Tracking was first reported by WhatsApp Beta Info on its Twitter account just last week, before being picked up by Fortune and other publications. It is not being tested widely, with only a small amount of people using WhatsApp’s beta app – specifically version 1.16.399 on Android, and 2.17.3.28 on iOS.
[wysija_form id=”5″]
More from WhatsApp
WhatsApp Improves Audio Sharing Feature With Its Latest Beta Update
WhatsApp is bringing a big improvement to its audio sharing UI, with the ability to send up to 30 files …
WhatsApp Brings Its WhatsApp Business App To The iPhone
WhatsApp has announced that its WhatsApp Business app is now also available on iOS in seven countries, with a global …
You Can Now Prevent Others From Adding You To WhatsApp Groups Without Permission
WhatsApp is bringing a new privacy setting and invite system that lets you decide who can add you to groups …
